The robber, who sometimes brings an item to the counter first before demanding money from a cashier at gunpoint, even held up three different establishments in the space of a half an hour in the early morning hours of Jan. 31, the alert said.

The robber is described as an Hispanic man who is between the ages of 22 and 40. He stands 5-foot-5 to 5-foot-10 and weighs between 180 and 220 pounds, the alert stated. During the robberies, he wears a dark hooded sweatshirt and, sometimes, a black knit cap, the alert said.

The following robberies are being investigated, according to the alert:

The University of Illinois' rescinded job offer to a professor and a controversy over a faculty blog at Chicago State University helped land the two schools on a 2014 "worst of" list for student and faculty free speech rights.

Rep. Aaron Schock billed taxpayers at least three times for a total of more than $14,000 in private air travel last fall, including for a trip to a Chicago Bears football game, The Associated Press has learned.